I hope that you all enjoyed a wonderful holiday season and are as excited about the new year as I am. I have a lot of exciting changes planned, so stay tuned.

Wishing you all the best in 2014! -GC

Gary CongerArt Lovers Newsletter

January 2014

Harlem Churches16 x 20 (2012)We were out looking for a wreath in December and found one nearby at St. Martin's Episcopal Church on Lenox Avenue. The patina of the church's copper-cladded steeple inspired me to make this painting in 2012.

Creating this painting was the first time I had ever mixed colors to make teal and to show it in both light and shadow was challenging and exciting.

Spring Sunrise II20 x 16 (2012)This painting was done in the spring of 2007 when we lived in the Flatiron District with access to a roof deck that offered panoranic views of lower Manhattan.

I recently sold this painting to a woman who is giving it to her husband as an expression of love. This is the second time someone has purchased a painting to give as a romantic gift and I cannot tell you how flattered this makes me feel.

New York is having a tough winter this year. To keep my spirits up I painted December Sunrise, the image above. The effect is of the rising sun on the windows that we see across the street and a little further to our west. On a clear day the slanted rising sun really lights things up, creating beautiful contrast!

I am very excited to introduce my new website, garyconger.com, a sunny thought as we anticipate spring. In this new design my paintings show up much larger, there is less copy and my favorite paintings are featured, starting with the most recent work. I'm very pleased with the changes, why don't you take a few moments to look at it and tell me what you think.

A website is always a work in progress. I welcome your feedback.

Do not hesitate to share this newsletter and my website with friends, especially your friends who love art! Thanks for reading this far, and don't forget to subscribe.

Isn't it beautiful that spring is finally here! Despite being a bit chilly. Lately I've been exploring Tumblr, a visual blogging platform that blows up paintings and photos to full screen size and leaves space around them for captions and thoughts about the work.

There are two themes at garyconger.tumblr.com. BIG CITY, BIG SKY is mainly about the dramatic skies I try to capture in my photographs. “Beautiful New York” is the theme that underlies my cityscape paintings that have been the most popular I’ve sold.

I follow other artists and art lovers on Tumblr, hoping of course that they will follow me, but mostly I do it to find others who search for beauty in art. A thing of beauty is a joy forever (John Keats), and making art is a joy in the here and now.

The lonely water tank above has a spring sapling growing around it. How did it get there? In the larger picture those myriad fluffy clouds floating by in a bright blue, infinite sky are a certain sign of spring, if you can forget the chill a minute and look up.

When you have a chance, please check out the blog. I'd love to hear what you think, or if you have any questions. On Tumblr it’s very easy to comment on what you see.

November 2014 (vol 1)

NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES

2014

November 2014 (vol 2)

Gary Conger

January 2014

The view out my studio window inspired a painting I call “Northeast Harlem”. Those mammoth blue portals standing at the entrance to the Triborough Bridge, once used to raise the roadway for boats passing under, serve my muse and me as the gateway to quieter places beyond New York City, like the sod farms and wineries of Long Island's North Fork or those beautiful beaches on the ocean side running all the way out to Montauk.

"Beautiful New York" has been my major theme since starting to paint in 2004. The Triborough Bridge portals, along with the water towers, church spires and rooftops I've focused on over the years, is yet another aspect of the city I pay tribute to in my paintings.

By the way, I've reopened my other website - theviewoutmywindow.com - to enable access to an archive of my Art Lovers newsletters and to more of my personal history than I've been able to put in the new website, which of course is garyconger.com and the best place to view all my recent work.

MAY 2014

August 2014

october 2014

It’s been a lovely summer and the crisp of autumn is in the air. Can you feel it? I’ve been traveling a lot this summer so it’s nice to be home and back to my painting. The sunsets are getting more spectacular and I’m inspired by the changing leaves in Marcus Garvey Park.

This painting I did of a barn in Vermont features trees in the first stages of autumn, the same brilliant hues that our New York trees will soon begin to show.

Luscious Vermont 60 x 36 (2008)

I recently hosted a reception at Settepani in Harlem where my work has been on display since August 1st. A lively group of friends, family and art lovers joined me for an hour of wine and hors d’oeuvres followed by a small dinner. It was a lovely event and I had a wonderful time.

The paintings will be on display there until the end of this month If you’d like to meet me there to view them and maybe have a bite to eat just let me know.

I look forward to seeing you,

Gary

Phone | 917-856-8625

August 2014

I hope you’re all getting plenty of play time this August and maybe even taking time to catch an art gallery or two.If you find yourself in the vicinity of 120th Street and Lenox Avenue and have an appetite for excellent Italian Mediterranean food, stop in at Settepani Ristorante on 120th Street and Lenox Avenue where fifteen of my paintings grace the walls. The cityscapes, mostly Harlem views, are in the front of the restaurant, and the landscapes paintings are in the back.The show is up from August 1 to September 30.

This painting is one I recently completed for the show. It's the actual view out my studio window in the Spring.Northeast Harlem

St. Martin's Episcopal Church

Harlem Meer

New Paintings

I’ve recently completed two small Harlem pictures on wood painting panels, my first use of them. I like the way the paint lays down on the wood, the brush feels different against it than it does on canvas. I don't have a preference yet, for now I will continue to explore both.

MArch 2014

Do you love trees as much as I do? After a busy June of anniversaries, birthdays and weddings, my Muse and I spent a restful July 4 weekend in Vermont looking at Nature instead of fireworks. So many gorgeous hills, ponds, streams and grassy fields and an abundance of trees everywhere you look.

Returning to the city was not traumatic, there are so many trees around us in Harlem. The ones that I see every day out my studio window are especially alluring. They undulate back and forth like dancers waving their arms and skirts in unison. They also provide excellent shade for people walking Mount Morris.

In addition to trees, I still love the wood water tanks that sit on so many New York rooftops. On a recent walk down 125th Street I noticed a particularly attractive water tower on the roof of the Apollo Theatre and thought, why not paint this iconic sign and this water tank as performers on the same stage?

I just finished this painting of the view out my studio window, which is similar to another painting that was featured in my Settepani show. In this iteration the two portals to the Triborough Bridge are seen at 5 am, silhouetted by a beautiful sunrise that we only get that early at the peak of summer.

Now that we're in darkness for so many hours each day the painting makes me nostalgic for the wonderful, mild summer we had this year. Of course now we're preparing for the winter holiday season, which is also cause for celebration.

Halloween marks our full entrance into the harvest season. It's generally the turning point from balmy autumn weather to the first nips of winter's chill. When I lived in Chelsea my muse and I would host an annual Day of the Dead/All Saints Day potluck dinner on the first day of November. Each guest would bring the favorite food and/or a picture of a friend or relative who has passed away. We decorated our apartment with skulls, skeletons and candles, all to acknowledge that death is a natural part of our life cycle.

In honor of that tradition I brought out this picture of a cemetery in Vermont that I painted many years ago, to bring the feeling of reverence for the deceased to this month's newsletter.